Ridley Scott and Christian Bale on the Trials and Tribulations of 'Exodus: Gods and Kings' (VIDEO)

The thought of speaking, face-to-face, with either Christian Bale or director Ridley Scott is intimidating enough. Both of them are downright legendary. Scott for his unparalleled laundry list of genuinely classic movies (everything from "Alien" and "Blade Runner" to "Gladiator" and "Black Hawk Down") and Bale for a string of intense performances in everything from "American Psycho" to Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight trilogy (he seems to have a pretty intense off-screen presence too). But talking to both of them, together, well, it was enough to make me nearly atomize into a nearly-invisible mist.

Bale stars in Scott's new biblical epic "Exodus: Gods and Kings" as Moses, who leads the Jews out of Egypt and away from the evil pharaoh (played here by hunky Australian actor Joel Edgerton, in eye make-up and bronzer). It's yet another classic Bale performance: obsessive, exacting, and, of course, intense. And it's a performance brought to life by Scott's staggering command of the widescreen canvas and an arsenal of cutting-edge visual effects.

When I sat down and talked to them, I asked them about the movie's truncated shooting schedule, what their favorite Ridley Scott movie is, and what, exactly, is going on with "Blade Runner 2."